By Aryeh Gelfand

Your desk at work. Your kitchen sink. Your car. Socially speaking, “Neat & Clean” is the sign that someone “has it together”. Closet organization is about more than just a tidy way to store your belongings; it is part of a holistic approach to a meaningful and fulfilling life.

“At the end of the day, being organized is about having more time for yourself, and enabling you to live a more balanced life,” says Eva Selhub, M.D., author of "Your Health Destiny: How to Unlock Your Natural Ability to Overcome Illness, Feel Better, and Live Longer.”

Why has interest in meditation, breathing techniques, and yoga soared in the past few years? People are realizing that a fulfilling life is about more than just how much money you are making and what gadgets you own; a guiding philosophy that engages with all aspects of a well rounded lifestyle is needed. For some, organization is a way to do that.

The global trend towards organization as a lifestyle has its roots in medical studies that link organization to mental health. As this correlation becomes more clear, keeping your car or house clean is no longer just about removing dirt; it has become an investment in your well being.

Lack of organization has been linked to a lot of the ailments that come with our modern plugged-in lifestyles. How are we more stressed out while less productive and more connected while having less meaningful human interactions? Perhaps the first step is an investment in the type of organization that brings harmony and meaning to our lives.

Decorating one’s office or home according to the principles of feng shui is one way of optimizing your space. The chinese system of feng shui use the arrangement of buildings and objects to harness the flow of the life force called chi. Chi is the life force that is constantly moving around and can determine how we react to situations.  Chi, or energy, flows around us. It is the constantly moving and changing life force that we feel around us. It can make us feel either good or bad in a certain locations. Feng Shui prevents Chi from getting stuck and promotes its easy passage through our homes and offices. When harnessed properly organization in the form of feng shui can change the way our environment interacts with us.

Hiring a fengshui consultant to redecorate your home or office is simply not feasible for most people. For the rest of us a simple solution is needed. Expert like Karen Kingston, author of “Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui”, has outlined 4 ways to help us quickly and effectively declutter our lives. She recommends getting rid of:

1. Things you do not use or love
2. Things that are untidy or disorganized
3. Too many things in too small a space
4. Anything unfinished (so very true)

Following these simple rules is an easy way to get you on your way to decluttering your space and organizing your life.

Experts in childhood education have drawn a link between organization skills and success in the classroom. Occupational Therapist Devora Backenroth (OTR/L) has worked with hundreds of children in the New York City Public School system & has seen much success helping them adjust to the daily grind. She's drawn a fascinating connection between students’ classroom performance & organization:

“My colleagues & I have found that the psychological and emotional output of being disorganized is - anxiety. An ordinary, every-day classroom task a student simply cannot complete because they’re disorganized becomes a source of anxiety so distracting they give up on trying. They fall behind. They act up. I spend my sessions working together with students to implement easy and creative solutions these kids can wrap their minds around. The vast majority of these tricks are really just to help them get organized. What follows is a sharp increase in the students’ ability to complete these tasks quickly and efficiently. Thankfully, there’s a wonderful awareness & many students are benefiting from these simple interventions. Learning these skills at an early age allows them to keep up through all their years- the effects down the road are life-changing.”

Organization is in our DNA as a tool to remain productive, functioning members of society- & a mechanism for staving off the subconscious anxieties of our hectic lives.